The funding is the first $ 5 billion that the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will distribute over five years as part of a clean school bus program created by the bipartisan Infrastructure Act in 2021.
The discounts will support the purchase of 2,463 buses, 95 percent of which will be electric, the White House said. The nearly 400 discounts will go to school districts in all 50 states.
The EPA’s Clean School Bus Program is part of a broader administrative initiative to modernize public school infrastructure and reduce the pollution of older buses. It is also helping to deliver on US President Joe Biden’s pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and channel federal investment to disadvantaged communities.
Switching to a nationwide fleet of electric school buses would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5.3 million tons per year, according to a study by the nonprofit Public Interest Research Group. According to an EPA calculator, this equates to shutting down one and a half coal-fired power plant for a year.
Last month, the EPA said it would nearly double the $ 500 million projected for clean bus awards this year due to overwhelming demand from school districts. He plans to shell out another billion dollars under this program next year.
